The present invention relates to underwater breathing apparatuses and more particularly to an above-water apparatus for pumping air to a submerged diver.
Over the centuries people have searched for new ways and new apparatuses that would enable them to stay underwater longer without returning to the surface for air. The simplest, a snorkel, consists of a tube which extends from the swimmer's mouth to the surface. Among the disadvantages of a snorkel is that a swimmer has to hold his or her breath if he or she goes any deeper below the surface than the length of the snorkel tube and, thus, the depth and time below the surface are very limited. Another apparatus is a pressurized tank which a diver wears on his or her back to supply air through a hose to a regulator in the diver's mouth. With this apparatus a diver can breath at depths below the surface with the tank air at sufficient pressure to compensate for the water pressure at the particular depth. However, such a tank is heavy and very cumbersome to carry. Furthermore, time under the water is still limited by the amount of compressed air in the tank. Moreover, such a device requires a diver to undergo an extensive training course because of the dangers involved in breathing high compressed air.
A third method which enables a diver to breath underwater is an apparatus having a pump which floats on the water's surface or is contained in a boat or otherwise and which pumps air through a pressure hose to a submerged diver. This pumped air may be fed to the diver through a regulator or may simply be fed into a pressurized suit worn by the diver, such as for deep sea diving. It is this third method for which the present invention is designed.
Some patented apparatuses do pump air from above the water's surface to a diver. The most pertinent of these includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,674,493 by Mitchell and 3,398,878 by Quiram, et al. The earliest of these, U.S. Pat. No. 3,398,878, uses a gasoline engine and compressor combination with a rubber inflatable innertube surrounding same for flotation. Unfortunately, this latter device is very bulky and heavy due to the design and the use of a heavy four-stroke engine. Thus, such a device is awkward to transport. Moreover, a gasoline engine presents a risk of air contamination from the exhaust fumes in the system. U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,493 seeks to remedy this problem of bulkiness and the risk of air contamination from exhaust fumes by placing a compressor and battery-powdered electric motor in a waterproof, buoyant container. But this apparatus requires a separate tank to store the air and a heavy battery, thereby once again adding to the bulkiness of the system and, thus, making it not portable. Also, the period of time over which air can be provided by this latter device is limited by the time the battery will last without recharging.
Thus, there still remains the need for a lightweight, compact and easily portable floating device which can safely pump air to a submerged swimmer, which is fulfilled by the instant invention.